


First Meeting

by TheonnaQueen



Series: Witchy [1]
Category: Ghost Adventures (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-20
Updated: 2017-10-09
Packaged: 2018-10-06 14:38:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10336808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheonnaQueen/pseuds/TheonnaQueen
Summary: A lock down at a lighthouse introduces the crew to someone new. Will she be just another person they meet on the road or could she be the missing piece in Zak's life?





	1. Chapter 1

Zak hated open water but not as much as he hated flying. He wasn't sure why he had even agreed to come to this tiny town in the middle of nowhere Nova Scotia, Canada. The fact that he was on a plane for 6 hours and then plopped into the middle of this town with ocean all around was too much. He was exhausted and pissed off at everyone, especially because there appeared to be a mix up with their hotel reservations. The crew knew to keep their distances and left him I stewing in the passenger seat of the rental car.

Bacon knocked on the window causing Zak to glare at him “There is a B&B rental place about 30 minutes from town, which is actually closer to the lighthouse. It can accommodate all of us and will be ready when we get. I also managed to score us a refund so this stay will be free.” Zak just continued to glare.

Devin appeared behind Bacon “There won’t be time to stop there first, we’re suppose to film that walking ghost tour tonight, we’ll have to go straight there.”

“No. Absolutely not. This is ridiculous. First the hotel is booked, now we have to travel even further into the wilderness; there is no way I am filming tonight.” Zak threw a temper tantrum. “Where is our fixer anyways? Get them to move the schedule.”

“We were suppose to meet them at the walking tour.” Devin trailed off at the look on Zak’s face. “I’ll see what I can do, let's just get to the place we’re staying.”

***********

When they finally arrive, they were impressed with the place, it looked like a hotel in it’s own right. Zak got out of the car to stretch his legs and take in the view. At least it looked peaceful and they had not been lied to, they could see the lighthouse just across the bay.

Bacon went to get them set up but found the door locked. It took a couple of long minutes before it was opened by a young girl, who upon seeing Bacon slammed the door in his face. He could hear her shouting for someone else who must have been deeper in the B&B. He was just about to give up and phone the hotel clerk when the door open again to reveal a lady. She was of indeterminate age but older than the first girl. She had shoulder length loose mousy brown curls, square framed glasses, and was a bit pale. She was barefoot and wearing a rather large sweater over comfortable looking jeans. She was well proportioned, not too skinny like Vegas girls. She looked gorgeous to Bacon, especially after the travel day he had, putting up with Zak.

“Can I help you gentlemen?” She asked with a tilt of her head.

Bacon stumbled over his words “We were told that this was a B&B, rental? From Torri at the Harbor Hotel?”

She looked momentarily confused “Oh, I wasn’t aware that you were coming. Cell reception isn’t great lately; I must have missed the landline. Please come in. I’m sorry that I don’t have the rooms ready just yet but I should have them within the half hour. How many rooms do you need?”

“There are 12 of us but we only need 10 rooms.” Bacon responded, still as little awestruck. By now, Zak and the others had began to crowd around.

“Please, all of you come in. Carrie has got tea, coffee, and some snacks in the kitchen. I’m a bit surprised but I will have rooms ready just as quick as I can.” Her voice carried to reach everyone.

As they all trooped through the hallway towards the kitchen, in search of coffee and snacks. There appeared to have been some sort of class or practice that they had interrupted. There were fabric and costumes scattered over the living room furniture. A coffee mug was sitting on the piano with open sheet music with notes scrawled in the margins. There were 5 or 6 high school aged children attempting to clean all of it up.

Zak was at the tail end of the group, still trying to soak in nature and get over his grumpiness, as he made his way to the kitchen he overheard a conversation that he was sure he shouldn’t have.

“Ms. Anastasia, what are you going to do? Where are you going to stay?”

“Don’t worry about any of that. I really need all of your help right now. Nina, gather up all of the costumes, patterns, music, everything we need for rehearsal and put it in my trunk. Ken, I need you to help Carrie in the kitchen. Please put away any dishes and clean the mess. And everyone else, I need your help to go through the rooms and make sure they are ready, air out the beds. OK?”

“Yes Ms. Anastasia.” The kid chorused before scattering to follow her directions. Zak was watching from the shadow of the doorway and saw her take a deep breath and rub at her eyes under he glasses. She then disappeared up the stairwell. Zak turned away from this and made his way into the kitchen and the rest of the crew.

He walked into the middle of a conversation “... win tickets. But we have to think of a clever concept. We’re doing Aida and were thinking we could reuse the characters for the Hamilton challenge, we’re trying to get Anastasia to sing but she isn’t really into to it.”

“But she is the best singer.” Ken cut it.

“Seems pretty cool. I would love to film you guys. It seems like a really cool project.” Aaron excitedly babbled while cramming pastries into his mouth.

“We should have some time, it would give me a chance to mess around with fun editing and graphics.” Devon chimed in.

“Did everyone forget that we are here to do a job? That I am actually paying you to film our show?” Zak said with a rather hard edge to his voice. He poured himself some hot water from the kettle and looked through the tea selection, before selecting a herbal one. Billy and Aaron shared a long suffering look, the sooner Zak could be by himself the better.

A tense silence fell over the kitchen and they could hear song drifting down from the upper floors. Carrie and Ken smiled at each other, they longed to join in the singing.

“Do you all work here in the B&B?” Ashley asked. “It seems a bit out of the way but really nice.”

“Oh no. This isn't..” Carrie started but didn’t get to finish, Ken had elbowed her rather hard in the side.

“We help when we can. Anastasia doesn’t usually get too many visitors. She acts as overflow for the Harbor Hotel, especially since she is only here a couple months a year.” Ken finished. Zak could tell this wasn’t the whole story but was too tired to press further.

Those that were on the upper floors flowed down the stairs, the kids gathered up their shoes and made their way out of the house. Anastasia made her way into the kitchen, she had a duffle bag thrown over her shoulder and was now wearing shoes.

“Thank you Carrie and Ken for being gracious hosts, I believe that the others are waiting for you outside. I will see you all tomorrow, thanks again.” Carrie and Ken took this as their cue to leave.

Anastasia turned to address the others “There are 8 rooms on the second floor. Unfortunately, only 3 of them have private washrooms but there are 3 other washrooms on that floor, as well as 2 on the main floor here. Most have showers. There are 3 rooms on the lower level; these open onto the back lawn and offer a nice view of the bay. They do have to share a washroom though. Finally, there are 2 loft rooms up on the 3rd floor. These are more private but there is no washroom up there. There are extra linens in each room and washroom. I do ask that you stay out of the attic, this holds the office and private rooms. Also, the basement is off limits.

Feel free to eat anything you find in the pantry and fridge, there isn’t much but it is yours if you so choose. There are delivery information on the fridge and directions to the grocery store, as well. Since this is operating as a B&B, I’ll be back to serve breakfast between 8-9, unless this there is a more convenient time? Are there any questions?” There were head shakes all around.

“Feel free to contact me if you run into any trouble or have any questions. Typically, I would stay here on property but this was a bit of a surprise and I have plans to be elsewhere tonight. I will be back tomorrow for breakfast and to freshen the washrooms and anything else that might need it. I do hope you enjoy your stay and don't hesitate to contact me at any hour for any reason.” Anastasia finished and laid several sets of keys with phone information attached on the table. She shouldered her bag and left the house, seeing as there were no questions.

Aaron wondered off to check out the rooms, Billy, Ashley, and Jay trailing after. Bacon and Devon continued to sip their coffee and discuss the possibility of filming the kids.

Zak got up and made a move towards the front of the house, he planned to begin unloading the camera equipment. He still felt a bit wound up from the flight and hoped that organizing the equipment would help him sleep.

He felt a very strong depressed emotion as he stepped out of the front door. It hit him suddenly, disorientating him. He looked around trying to pinpoint where it was coming from.

“It’s not nice to read people without their permission.” Anastasia called her voice breaking, she kept her eyes on the ground and refused to raise them.

Zak was saved from answered as an SUV drove up and three guys got out. A shorter, dark haired one, a taller blonde one, and the one from the back seat was a bit stockier. They looked very athletic. Zak noticed that he could no longer feel the depressed emotion, even when he focused on it; it was a new sensation not to feel anything and intrigued him.

The dark haired one called out “We heard what happened with Torrie and through you would need a place to stay. Phil insisted that we head over right away.” Anastasia snapped her head up at the mention of Phil. She dropped her bag and ran the remaining steps across the driveway. She launched herself at this Phil who caught her midair. She buried her face in his neck and Zak could hear her sobs from where he was still standing watching the scene unfold but he could only feel the strange combination of awkward and desire coming from this Phil and nothing from Anastasia. He felt more confused and this was further compounded by this strange jealousy that he wasn’t the one comforting her. He tried not to dwell on this and continued to the rental to began unloading camera equipment. Before he even made it to the back of the SUV, he heard multiple car doors closing and two cars pull out.

He was very confused about what had just happened. Could she tell that he was a sensitive? That he was picking up on her emotions? He didn’t think that this was possible. But maybe? It seemed that she had blocked him somehow. He must of spent longer time than he thought mulling this over because Bacon appeared to smoke a cigarette and asked what he was doing; it had been close to 45 minutes since he went outside.

“Nothing. Just getting some air. Going to get the equipment inside.” Zak replied rather defensively.

********** Later that night **********  
Zak ended up in one of the rooms with a private bathroom; his crew knew him too well. It was about 4am and Zak had given up on trying to fall back asleep an hour ago. He decided to get up and explore the rest of the place before everyone else got up.

He was drawn to the attic. He knew that Anastasia had asked them to stay out but he needed to learn more about her to maybe figure out how she blocked her emotions from being read. There actually wasn't much in the attic. It was tucked under the eaves and Zak had trouble standing up straight. The bulk of the space was open and filled with storage: cleaning supplies, furniture, the usual things that were needed to run a hotel/B&B. There were several rooms at the far end of the space. One was an office and was rather generic, several desks, computers, and files. There was also what appeared to be a staff break room. It had a small table, chairs, mini fridge and microwave. It looked like it had not been used in quite a while. And there were several unused bedrooms.

The furthest room was calling to Zak. He paused with a hand on the doorknob; he knew that this was the living space and that he probably shouldn't be poking around but he needed to know more about this Anastasia and the best way to do that was to peek into her bedroom.

The first thing he noticed when he opened the door was the windows, they filled the opposite wall and provided a panoramic view of the bay with the lighthouse framed in the middle. It was breathtakingly beautiful, Zak could see why Anastasia would have picked this room as her own. Zak was feeling a residual feeling of sadness lingering in the room.

There was a bulletin board with the usually clutter of notes, a calendar, and various pictures. Zak recognized Anastasia with some of the guys that had picked her up earlier, they appeared to be playing pond hockey in the picture. Another picture showed two young fishermen in front of lobster traps on the deck of a boat, a younger Anastasia had her arms around both and they all looked extremely happy. Zak guessed that these were her brothers. The last picture that caught Zak’s eye was of the front of the B&B. A little girl, Anastasia presumably, was being pushed on a tire swing by an older woman. It looked very faded and well loved.

Glancing around the room Zak took in the large bookshelf crammed with books, a sewing box with thread spilling out of it in another corner, and hockey gear in a pile in the opposite corner. It also had a small loveseat and tv tucked under another eave, with fairy lights strung up under the roof. It gave him the feeling of home.

Zak was then pulled to look at the bed where a half empty tissue box sat on the pillows. Laying next to this was a torn picture of Anastasia and a man. A paper was stick out from underneath the photo that was calling to Zak.

It was a wedding invitation. It read:

 _Please Join_  
 _Mr. Brandon Weber & Ms. Melissa Bailey_  
As they Celebrate Their Wedding  
22nd June 2016  
Sicamous, B.C.

There was so much emotion radiating from the invitation that Zak could barely hold onto it and he could feel the tears forming behind his eyes. The wedding date had passed about a week ago. Zak could guess that there was some story between Anastasia and this Brandon. He wondered if this was the only thing that caused her distress earlier in the evening; his gut said no. He wondered why he cared so much about her happiness but decided to blame it on exhaustion, all this emotion was draining him. He left the room and went back to his own.

The sneaking around did have the desired effect, even if it was emotionally draining, he finally felt like he could get some sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay and the short chapter. I promise some more action in the next...

Zak woke to the smell of sausage and eggs cooking, he was surprised at how rested he felt, considering what little actual sleep he had got the night before. He made himself look presentable and made his way down the stairs to the dining room.

He could hear pans being moved around in the kitchen but Aaron prevented him from entering. He had a finger to his lips and was recording something on his phone through the crack in the doorway.

Zak could just faintly make out a quiet song. He wasn't sure what it was but the singer had a very good voice and seemed to have passion behind every refrain. Zak cocked an eyebrow at Aaron and when the song had finished, they both pushed into the kitchen. Zak was a bit surprised to learn that the singer was their host Anastasia, he had assumed that the kids from last night were back.

“Good morning.” Anastasia said brightly “Grab a plate. Omelettes are almost done.”

Zak and Aaron grabbed plates and began loading them up with food. The rest of the crew soon filed in and sat down to breakfast. Anastasia stood, sipping coffee and occasionally making more toast; she was waiting to clean the dishes.

Deven finished his cup of coffee and brought up the need to figure out plans with their local fixer, Zak could tell he was still a little upset at the change of plans from the night before.

“The fixer, Harry, is meeting us here at 10:30. We need to figure out a schedule and how we’re going to get the b-roll.” Deven instructed Zak, who nodded along.

“Was it possible to reschedule the walking tour?” Zak asked.

“Yes, but there isn’t supposed to be a tour tonight, apparently Tuesday's are too slow for regular tours. They’re going to try to call someone in. I’m hoping we’ll hear from them by this afternoon but it might have to wait until tomorrow.”

In the meantime, Aaron was in the kitchen peppering Anastasia with questions as she washed dishes.

“What was that song you were singing?”

“Singing? I wasn't singing. What gave you that impression?” She responded sharply to which Aaron pulled out his phone to play his recording.

She glared at Aaron then blushed “It’s not nice to film people without their consent. But since you've obviously caught me, that was _On My Own_ from Les Mis. The kids have it stuck in my head.”

“You have a very beautiful singing voice. I can see why Carrie wants you to sing in their contest video or whatever. What is this contest anyways?”

Before Anastasia could answer her phone went off. She gave an apologetic smile to Aaron and moved away to take the call. She frowned through most of the conversation but when she hung up she brightly said to the assembled Ghost Adventures Crew “It looks like I have been called into work to cover some shifts. Please throw any towels you don't want to reuse into the laundry shoots and I will replenish, as needed, this evening. I will be here tonight if something should come up or if you need anything.”

Getting no response from anyone, Anastasia finished the dishes and made her way out of the hotel. Zak watched her and tried to place a finger on what it was about her that had him so intrigued. He didn’t dwell on this for too long as Devon had reeled him back into planning the filming.

*~*  
Their fixer, Harry, was right on time. He was a big fellow, sturdily built. Zak guessed he had fishermen in his family.

“It seems fitting that you ended up here, since a big reason we wanted you to check things out was Ana.” Harry said after introductions were made.

“Ana? Or host, Anastasia?” Jay asked. Harry smiled.

“You must have bumped into her theater kids, she can't seem to break them from using her full name. She is always saying it has too many syllables and I think it irks her more when they include the Ms. Anastasia.” Harry finished with a chuckle.

“Anyways, the reason we wanted you here was because there is something in the lighthouse that is toying with her. It seems to be getting worse lately.”

“Something negative? You mentioned maybe demonic on the phone.” Jeff piped up.

“There is something out there that is mimicking her brother’s voice, and Charlie was lost almost 4 years ago now. There was a storm and the boat and entire crew went down in it. I’m not sure Ana has ever really recovered.

Ana used to row over to the lighthouse to wait for Charlie to return. It offers the best vantage point to see the fishing fleet. She never really stopped. I think she still holds onto some hope that the boat will appear on the horizon.” Harry finished with a choked voice, obviously affected by the story.

He cleared his throat before continuing “I wasn’t too concerned, she has to grieve in her own way. I wasn’t until she came back with this recording that I got worried. Ana has always been a bit eccentric, outside of what the town thought she should be but this, this has me worried.”

“Do you have the recording?” Zak prompted. Harry nodded and pulled out his phone.

The audio was a bit scratchy and there were clear sounds of waves and sea birds in the background. Ana’s voice came through first “Hello? Is someone there? It’s not nice to sneak up on me.” Her voice wobbled and Zak could tell she had been crying.

There was obviously something that they couldn’t hear that Ana reacted to. “Chuck?! Please whoever is there. This isn’t funny.” The recording ended with Ana’s sobbing.

Harry winced at this “I was able to clear up the EVP.”

They listened closely to the recording “Don’t worry, something, something, here now.” Aaron guessed at the recording.

“I think it says ‘Don’t worry, I’m here how.’” Harry said. They listened again and they all agreed.

“It gets stranger thought, I have a couple more recordings. The worst part is that they all sound exactly like Charlie. I think she has more recordings that she hasn’t shared, not after I overreacted.” Harry finished with a sad shrug.

They listened to the recordings and were excited that the EVPs were so clear.

“What makes you think there is something dark that is in the lighthouse? Why can’t it really be Ana’s brother?” Billy asked.

“There is a tour group, they do overnight ghost haunts every spring; and they've captured the best evidence and it is terrifying. I set up a meeting with the guides later this afternoon, I thought you might want to interview them. They captured some poltergeist activity and some growling. The shadow figures are the scariest, they're really tall and they've managed to capture them on most tours, over many years. I asked them to bring the recordings for you to see for yourself. I just can't believe that Charlie would be there with those things.

Anyways, I figured you would want to get some video of the lighthouse in the daylight. I have a boat waiting to take us over and the ghost haunt guys will meet us there. I’m hoping by time we head back, Raquel will have found someone to lead the walking tour. There is no cell reception on the island.” Harry finished.

Seeing no objections, the crew gathered the recording equipment and various other things needed and headed over to spend the day filming the lighthouse and interviewing.

*~*  
Zak was not a fan of the boat, open water always made him a bit nervous. Luckily it was a short 10 minute ride over to the lighthouse. They did have to circle around the island to reach the dock, which put them on the opposite side from the lighthouse. The crew was not happy at the prospect of lugging all of the gear across the island, even if it would just be a 15 minute walk.

“This is the only way to access the lighthouse?” Jay asked, looking skeptically at the overgrown path they were walking along.

“Unfortunately, but there is more open space with a generator and campsite closer to the lighthouse. One of the perks of having the tours here every spring.” Harry responded.

They met up with Mike and Matt, who owned the lighthouse and the island. They conducted interviews but didn’t learn more then what Harry had mentioned earlier. The rest of the afternoon was spent filming B-roll and preparing for the lockdown.

Late in the afternoon, Zak walked away from the rest of the crew to take in the scenery. He was impressed with the panoramic ocean views that was before him but he could also sense something else just under the surface, something dark and sad. Something he was looking forward to exploring during the lockdown.

On the way back from the island, Harry got the message that the walking tour had been scheduled. There was no time to stop back at the hotel, which bothered Zak, he had wanted time to re-fix his hair but would have to make do. Billy was more upset that there wasn't time to eat but Harry promised to take them to a good place afterwards, settling most of the grumbling.

To be continued...


	3. Chapter 3

The Ghost Adventures Crew, various camera and sound guys, and their local fixer, Harry, stood on a corner in the gathering dusk waiting for the guide for a walking ghost tour to arrive.

“What is taking so long? I am starving.” Billy whined.

“I offered you some crackers.” Aaron piped up.

“No one wants your gross crackers, Aaron.” Several voices called out, followed by laughter all around.

They could see someone hurrying down the street towards them.

“I should have know it would be you, what took you so long?” Harry called out.

“You know it took me awhile to find a speeder I liked.” Ana called back.

Aaron visibly bounced at the _Star Wars_ reference and shared a knowing smile at Ana’s raised eyebrows.

“You say the strangest things.” Harry shook his head. “I see you’re dressed for the part and ready to go.”

They got her set up with a microphone to capture the tour for the camera and once all set, Ana nodded and turned to the assembled crowd. Zak could tell what she was reciting was well rehearsed and part of the preamble for the tour. He didn't hear much of her initial speech, he was captivated by her changed appearance. She was in a Victorian style dress that swept the street as she walked. It had a high necked lace collar and long sleeves with lace ruffles. Her hair was pulled back into a rather severe bun but this only managed to highlight her bright eyes and delicate cheekbones. She held a lantern aloft that cast a warm circle on the street and across her features. Zak couldn’t remember the last time he was this captivated by a woman, who happened to be showing almost no skin, he blamed it on the oversexulization of Vegas.

They began a slow walk down the street, Ana was flanked by Zak on one side and Billy filming them on the other. She was giving a small history lecture of the town as they walked through it. Zak put on his camera face and managed to nod along and even ask some relevant questions.

When they reached a dock, Ana had the crew assemble in a half circle around her and she began to tell the first ghost story.

“In the early nineteenth century this harbor used to be full of whaling ships, big stately things with crews of 100.

One such ship was the _Gabrielle Marie_. She had an experienced crew but a new captain. Captain Montgomery, Jr. Was taking over the whaling ship from his aging father. He had a young family that he would not be separated from. It was not uncommon in those days to have the captain's family along, the whaling trips could last up to two years. Captain Montgomery even had a harpsichord installed in the cabin to please his wife, she was an expert pianist, and it would provided entertainment for their small daughter.

Things went smoothly for the _Gabrielle Marie_ for the first 8 months or so, they had a successful hunting trip and her hold was filling up with whale oil. One day, as children are wont to do, the daughter got herself underfoot of the crew. There was great excitement of seeing a whale on the horizon and the crew member did not see the small child playing on deck. He accidentally knocked her in the head with a spear. The poor child lingered for four days before she succumbed to her injuries. I wish I could say that this is the end of the tragic story of Captain Montgomery but when it rains it pours.” Ana said with a sad smile and shake of her head. She could tell they were engrossed in her story.

“Naturally, as most mothers are, Mrs. Montgomery was distraught over the death of her child. The Captain, he tried to continue on with his duties, but seeing how the hold was almost full, made the decision to head towards home, a journey that would take several months.

To ease her grief, Mrs. Montgomery began to play the harpsichord, obsessively. She played her daughters favorite tune, over and over and over, unendingly. It went something like this.” Ana hummed a few notes.

“The Captain and crew were obliging to this new obsession, they all felt the loss of the little girl, that is until the tune went on without ending for days at a time. This continued for days and even sometimes, randomly at night. The poor young mother was just trying to soothe her broken heart.

The ship was about a week from harbor when Captain Montgomery couldn’t take it anymore. The constant playing of a single tune is enough to drive anyone mad. As it happened on nights past, Mrs. Montgomery awoke and went to play the harpsichord. Some say that night the Captain was possessed, others are less sure of this, regardless Captain Montgomery rose silently from the bed and crept behind his wife. He raised the fire axe…” At this moment Ana quickly spun around with an axe in her hand and swung it at Billy, who was holding a camera. He gave an undignified shriek and stumbled backwards into Mike, their sound guy, who Aaron had to grab to prevent from falling into the water. Everyone had a good chuckle. Ana waited for them to settle back down before continuing.

“They say by time the crew arrived and stopped their captain, his wife was barely recognizable. He was later tried and hanged for murder. It is a tragic story of grief and loss. They say if you listen carefully when the winds are calm you can still hear Mrs. Montgomery playing her little song.” Ana finished, she picked up the lantern and moved on.

“What about the lighthouse?” Zak asked “Are there any stories about the lighthouse?”

Ana gave a knowing smile as she stopped at an outcrop that put the lighthouse as her backdrop “And folks, we didn’t even rehearse that.” She gave a wink to the camera, causing Aaron to laugh uncontrollably. Zak felt a spike of jealousy and glared at Aaron to get himself under control so they could continue filming.

“When people think of lighthouse, they think of romance but in reality they are isolated, desolate place. Lighthouse are built to warn ships away from dangerous areas and to this day, most are difficult to access.

The lighthouse you see behind me is one of those that is still isolated and after it was decommissioned in 1956 has seen a whole host of weird things happen but it wasn't until the 70’s when things got out of control.

You may have noticed during our walk that this is a sleepy little fishing village, there isn’t too much to entertain teenagers. Naturally, kids here find their own entertainment and the abandoned lighthouse has a certain draw.

The local kids would row over to the lighthouse on warm evenings. It was a good place to escape the prying eyes of parents.” Ana said with a suggestive smile

“One particular evening, a group of six, three young ladies and three men, rowed over to the lighthouse for a little teenage fun. They brought with them a new toy, the ouija board. As I’m sure you folks know, things don't always go as planned when using an ouija board. That night something was unleashed, something that scared those kids to never going back to the lighthouse.

If you watch carefully on clear nights, you might see something walking around the over there. Sometimes it looks like a person, sometimes like a giant beast, but whatever it is, it won't be ignored or sent away.”

Ana broke character here and said “This is the part where I would give a shameless plug for the overnight tours to the lighthouse but I think you already know about that.” The guys chuckled at this.

The tour finished with a short walk back to where they started, Zak was lost in thought most of the time, caught up in feeling the history of the place so he was surprised when they abruptly stopped at a corner.

Harry was talking to Ana “Will you join us for dinner? I’m going to take them over to Torrie’s.”

“Where else would you take them?” Ana countered with a smile. “I need out of this dress and to lock up the office but I should be able to join you in 15.” She looked over to Zak “That is if you would like me to be there.”

Aaron jumped in “Yes of course.” Zak could tell Aaron was excited about the prospect of talking _Star Wars_ with someone. Ana smiled and hurried down the street, shaking her hair out as she went.

“Alight everyone, I know you are starving so I’m going to take you to the best place in town; the place where all the locals go, so you know it’s good.” Harry addressed the crowd and then led the way down the block to a little bar with a flickering light of _Torrie’s_ over the doorway.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and constructive criticism are always welcome.


	4. Chapter 4

It wasn’t the nicest bar Zak had ever been in, but then again it wasn’t the worst. It had a certain charm, a large bar full of locals, cozy booths with a family or two, and a small stage. The Ghost Adventure Crew filed in and took up half of the available tables and a quarter of the bar. Aaron was impressed by the amount of fresh seafood available, which left the rest of the crew grateful that they didn't have to listen to him grill the server about where the food came from, she had literally pulled the crate out that fresh fish had been delivered in that morning.

Zak was at a table with Bacon, Devin, and Jeff. Zak let the conversation flow around him, he was lost in thought about the upcoming lockdown and trying to puzzle out why he couldn’t read Ana. Usually he didn’t have have to try, other people’s emotions assaulted him on a regular basis. They had placed their food orders and were working on the first round of drinks when Ana arrived. She had changed into jeans, a loose tunic, and flats. Her hair was cascading around her shoulders. Zak tracked her movements from the doorway to sit at the bar between Harry and Aaron. The bartender greeted her as an old friend and placed a plate in front of her, unasked for, Zak could just make out the faint “Anastasia special: five cheese quesadilla.” And the resounding laughter from Harry.

About this time, their dinners were presented to the table and everyone dug in. Zak was impressed with the quality of the food but found his attention drawn back to watching Ana. Aaron was leaned into her space and was excitably using his hands to talk, Ana appeared to be meeting his enthusiasm with a wry smile. Zak guessed Aaron was discussing the latest _Star Wars_ film and from the emotion he was picking up, Aaron was already half in love with Ana.

Zak finished eating and was making his way across the bar to ease Aaron out of his conversation when several of the kids from the night before spilled into the bar. The made a beeline for Ana and all began talking at once, she spun in her seat and put her elbows on the bar. Zak admired the new form her body took.

“Ms. Anastasia! Ms. Anastasia!” The kids clamoured.

“One at a time, one at a time.” Ana responded, shushing the group.

“We know how we can win the contest but we’re going to need new costumes.” A tall, lanky boy stated.

“New costumes?”

“Don’t worry, we think you should have most of the things we need but they’ll need some tweaking.” A petite girl from the back of the group spoke up.

“Hear us out: Force for Ham!” Half of the group exclaimed causing Ana to laugh and clap her hands. Aaron looked on confused and amused.

“Oh, it is perfect. What songs were you thinking?” Ana asked excitedly.

“ _That Would Be Enough_ with Padme telling Anakin she is pregnant.” The petite girl said. Aaron gasped as he began to understand what the kids were getting at.

“And _Dear Theodosia_ with Rey and her father and Han Solo with Ben.” The lanky boy said.

“But we don't know who Rey’s father is!” Aaron interjected causing the kids to turn and stare at him.

“Doesn't matter” a girl, who was obviously the leader, shot back “Ms. Anastasia has Jedi robes we can use.” Ana smiled at this.

“I totally want Rey to be a Kenobi.” Another boy stage whispered to which the crowd had a good laugh and Aaron bounced in his seat.

“Well, I think that this is perfect.” Ana responded when the laughter died down. “I should have a dress that will work for Padme and we’ll pull together outfits for the others. They shouldn't take too much alteration.”

“We also wanted to have you be Leia in _Right Hand Man_ as Washington.” To this Ana shook her head “But we looked at the rules and only students can participate.”

“This all sounds lovely. We can do fittings and practice tomorrow, I shouldn't have to run extra tours.” Ana responded. Zak could tell she was already plotting the tasked that needed to be done.

The door suddenly flew open and a tall, blonde haired women swept in. She was well manicured and heavily made up, Zak could tell she was high maintenance, like his last girlfriend. She took one look at the crowd near the bar and scrawled. “I’m not running a daycare. Either get a table or ship out.” She shouted across the space.

The group of teens scattered. The petite girl called out as she was leaving, “Oh! Ms. Anastasia, Uncle Kenny said there is a storm off the coast and that the fleet was on the move.” Her friends hustled her out into the street.

“I should have know it was you causing problems.” The new woman hissed as she got closer to the bar. Ana visibly cringed and made an effort to slide off of the stool but Aaron haven't pick up on what was happening and inadvertently blocked her in.

“Torrie! We didn't expect to see you here today. How are the kids?” The bartender attempted to draw her attention, unsuccessfully. He could tell she already had some drinks and was looking for a fight.

“Why are you always here? And shouldn't you be hanging out with people your own age? It's no wonder Brandon is marrying someone else, you're so pathetic.” Torrie turned her anger towards Ana.

“I’m on my way out, don't worry. I think you should have some food.” Ana said in a soft voice with no malice. She finally managed to get past Aaron and make her way towards the exit. “I need to get back and check on on the B&B anyways.” She said mostly to herself.

The atmosphere in the bar became tense with conversation muted. Zak was amazed that no one had stepped in to stop the scene from unfolding. He guessed that this was a regular occurrence, probably the norm in this sleepy little town. It didn’t makes sense but he didn't want to stay in a place where they treated customers so poorly. He made to follow Ana to the door and nearly ran into her as she was stopped by several men entering.

“Ana! Won’t you stay and sing with us tonight?” A man holding a guitar case asked. Ana shook her head and gestured towards Torrie. “Ah. Some other time then.” He let Ana pass, Zak following close at her heels still confused at the situation.

The fresh ocean air swept over Zak as he crossed the threshold into the street, he could almost taste the salt in the air. “Is there something I can help you with?” Ana called over her shoulder.

“I was hoping you could give me a ride back? I think the others will be a while, especially if there is live music.” Zak trailed off. Ana nodded and led the way down the road to where her little car was parked.

As Zak slid into the passenger seat he noticed how tightly Ana was gripping the steering wheel. There was an uncomfortable silence that lasted only a moment or two. Zak wanted to say something but was having trouble finding the words but never got the chance, Ana heaved a big sigh and turned the car on, causing the radio to blare. She made no move to turn it down as she pulled away from the curb. Zak took the hint and stayed quiet.

It wasn’t until they had pulled up to the B&B that Zak found the courage to break the silence. “How come I can't sense your feelings? I can see how tense you are but I don't feel anything and I feel other people's emotions all the time.”

Ana stared at him for a beat too long “You're an empathetic medium. I don't know how you haven't figured out how shield yourself.” She hadn't really answered his question and moved to get out of the car.

“I’m not a medium.” Zak slid out of the car protesting rather loudly, to which Ana just raised an eyebrow.

She walked over, grabbed his wrist, and stared directly into his eyes “You actually want to feel what I am feeling?” There was a tiny bit of malice in her voice, Zak nodded and then almost staggered by the full force of the emotions hitting him. There was an overwhelming sense of sadness, the kind that would make most people curl under a blanket for days, a touch of anger at the way people treated each other and anger at him, and underlying it all was bone weary exhaustion. He felt all of this in a fraction of a second before he wrenched his arm out of her grasp and stumbled back. He actually felt breathless. Ana shouldered past him pulling her shields up as she walked into the B&B without a backwards glance.

Zak stood bent over in the driveway with his hands on his knees. He let the evening air caress his suddenly overheated skin. He took deep breaths of the sea air and gathered himself as a car pulled into the driveway. He hastily wiped the tears from his eyes before turning to face the person who was walking towards him.

“You OK?” Zak thought it was the one named Phil asked, Zak nodded “Ana has that effect on the best of us.” Phil patted his shoulder compassionately “She went in?” Again Zak nodded, he seemed to have lost the ability to speak. Phil left him in the driveway and went in search of Ana.

Zak was still dazed by what had just happened. He let the sound of crashing waves draw him around the side of the building. He settled into a lawn chair and attempted to sort through his feelings. He needed to figure this out so he could mentally prepare for the lockdown in the coming days.

Why was he so interested in Ana? She was totally not his type. Was it because he is always drawn to the tortured soul types? No, it had to be more than that. Perhaps it was the fact that he couldn't read her? It was a novel situation, he usually had the opposite problem, he was too easily overwhelmed by other people's emotions. Zak decided that he should be thankful that he wasn't sensing Ana, her emotions would surly distract him from filming. Maybe he should ask her about shielding himself from other people’s emotions, it might be something useful to know.

Zak shook his head as he rose and made his way inside. It took him some time to find Ana. He finally located her in the basement laundry room. She was seated on a pile of linens and had her eyes closed and head resting on Phil’s shoulder as he lounged against the laundry sink. He had an arm protectively around her resting on her far hip. It appeared that Phil was reading out loud from the book in his lap. Zak could tell Ana was mostly asleep, lulled by the white noise of the washing machine and Phil’s voice.

Zak watched for a long time, trying to figure out his confused feelings. His first instinct was to go in there are drag Ana away from Phil. He had no reason to do this, she looked content and at peace. He was then angry with himself, it had been months since he let a woman affect him in this way and he barely knew Ana. He decided it must be simple infatuation since she was so different from his usual type.

He was about to make his presence known when the washing machine buzzer went off. Ana unfurled herself from Phil and went to take take care of the laundry. Zak quickly turned and made his way back up to his room, he didn't want to get caught snooping. Perhaps it was for the best if he ignored the situation. He needed to put everything out of his mind and focus on the job to come and the potential demons waiting at the lighthouse.


	5. Chapter 5

Zak sat straight up in bed. His heart was pounding, where was he?

He took a deep breath and looked wildly around the room. It slowly came back to him, he was in Nova Scotia, filming. He managed to get his panic under control and tried to figure out what had awoken him. He strained to hear any strange noise. Hearing nothing but the crashing waves outside, he shrugged and was about to settle back under the blanket when he heard a woman wailing from outside his room. It was one of the saddest cries he had ever heard and probably what woke him up. Slowly, he eased his feet onto the cold floor and crept to the door, he didn't want to scare whatever was crying away.

He crept to the door and eased it open, wincing at the loud squeak in the quiet of the hallway. He listened intently but only heard the whistle of the wind through the open window at the end of the hall. He made his way towards the window, maybe the sound came from outside?

When he reached it, he noticed it was over a small stairwell, he guessed that it was originally a servants stairwell and used by staff now. He paused at the top to listen for the crying again. This time in addition to the wind and the waves, he heard the rhythmic sound of machinery coming up the stairs. His curiosity got the better of him and he made his way down the stairs, even though he got the clear feeling it was not supposed to be used by guests.

He paused at every landing to listen for the sound of crying but hearing nothing but the sound of machinery growing louder, he continued down four flights into the basement.

This was a different portion of the basement from where the laundry room was and had a distant smell of basement: damp and earthy. The cold of the floor shocked him, he wished he remembered to put shoes on before leaving his room. The room itself was dark, illuminated by the ambient light from the stairwell and from an open doorway on the other side of the space. The machine noise seemed to be coming from this room. He couldn't place what could be making the rhythmic noise but made his way towards the light, like a moth, in hopes of discovering the source of the crying.

Zak had to squint his eye at the brightness of the room. After his eyes adjusted, he realized the machine noises he heard was a sewing machine. There were racks of, what he assumed,costumes along one wall, a color coordinate cabinet full of fabric on the other wall, an old fashioned room divider for changing clothes and a full length mirror tucked between the cabinet and doorway, and a large table for cutting with various threads and sewing tools neatly hanging on the wall above.

Ana was bent over the sewing machine with her back to the door, Zak guessed she was altering costumes for the teens. Her hair was in a thick braid down the center of her back and she had, what Zak guessed, a Star Wars robe over her shoulders to fight off the chill of the basement.

He was trying to puzzle out what time it was, was it early or late? He should have looked at the clocked before he wandered around in the dark. When he as started by Ana’s voice “Breakfast isn't for another two hours but you're welcome to use the kitchen. Go backup the stairs and take the others down the front of the house.”

How did she know he was there, she hadn’t turned around.

Zak awkwardly replied “I heard someone crying.” Ana’s quick outburst in a foreign language startled him into silence. Her tone made him think that she was swearing.

“Where? What kind of crying? You're sure it wasn’t someone staying here? Were you in the cellar?” Ana fired rapid questions at him.

He answered the last question first “I saw you in the laundry room, I wanted to apologize.”

Ana groaned “So you were in the cellar.” Zak had the decency to look ashamed.

“You've upset Mrs. Eyrie. She doesn't like strangers in the cellar, it’s her space.”

“You have a spirit here? And you named it?” Zak confusingly asked.

“She was the wife of the original owner, died in childbirth, in the cellar during a hurricane. The doctor never made it in time. She doesn't like strange men in her space, it starts her crying, it'll only escalate from there.”

“I’ll have to do a cleansing, see if I can't settle her down.” Ana said mostly to herself. “You should help, since you upset her.” She added with a little malice.

Zak nodded and followed Ana up the stairwell, he made a quick stop at his room to grab a camera and digital recorder, you never know what you might catch.

He met up with Ana in the kitchen, she had a bowl of what Zak assumed was salt water, a sage stick, and a carton of salt. He shouldered the camera and followed her down the opposite stairwell towards the laundry room.

“Is it ok if I film?” Zak remembered to ask. Ana didn't look happy but nodded her consent.

She let Zak pass her to stand at the bottom of the stairs and then she returned to the top and created a line of salt. “Extra precaution. I don't want anything to escape upstairs.” She said with her back turned towards him.

She returned to stand next to him and lit the sage stick “Mrs. Eyrie, I know you are upset. There were people down here that shouldn't have been.” Ana shot a pointed look at Zak as she began to move around the place wafting sage smoke into the corners, stopping to set the bowl on top of the dryer.

“You need to settle down. I’m sorry the doctor didn't make it in time but the people here now are not responsible for that.” Ana was moving further into the basement, Zak trailing behind. He began to pick up a negative feeling. It didn't feel like distraught mother, it felt more demonic to him.

They were suddenly hit by a blast of cold air. Ana tensed beside him and hissed in pain. “That wasn't nice Mrs. Eyrie! Please, you have the back room as your own.”

“What happened? Are you ok?” Zak asked Ana. She held out her arm to show him the three scratch marks running down her wrist. He ran his fingers over them causing Ana to wince. “These were not there before?”

“No. I felt it when we were hit with the cold pocket.” Ana pulled her arm into her chest protectively.

They moved on, stopping in front of an open doorway. Zak caught a glimpse of the empty space beyond, it appeared to be the maintenance room with mechanical systems for the building. Suddenly the door slammed shut in front of them, causing Zak to give an undignified shriek. Ana jumped back and then took off jogging for the bowl of salt water. She returned and flicked water at the door.

“Mrs. Eyrie, the boiler room is yours, please stay there.” Ana bent over and drew a line of salt along the bottom of the door. Zak could see that this was adding to salt that had been there previously. He was beginning to get worried, he suspected this was not a distressed mother ghost and felt an overwhelming need to protect Ana.

The door rattled a few more times but stayed shut. Ana backed away and turned to Zak “I think she is settled down now. How about some breakfast?” He trailed her up the stairwell, being careful to step over the salt line, he was eager to analyze the footage for any EVP but also concerned about the scratches that appeared on Ana’s arm.

Ana was moving around the kitchen pulling pans out of cabinets and starting the coffee maker. Zak sat down at the island and watched her for several long minutes, trying to determine the nicest way to ask his questions, it was hard since he couldn't read her emotions to determine if she would have a negative reaction.

“Why do you think it’s Mrs. Eyrie in the basement?” He cautiously asked.

“Why wouldn't it be? What makes you think it isn't?” Came the sharp answer.

“In my experience, upset mother spirits don't scratch people.” Zak paused to gather his courage before continuing “Those tend to be demonic.” He felt her sudden panic at his words before once again he was cut off from reading her emotions further.

“It just can't be. It wouldn't be safe for guests to be here if it was demonic. I grew up here, it’s always been here.” Ana trailed off, looking more and more concerned.

Zak went around the island and put a hand on her shoulder “I’m not 100% positive but I’m going to review the footage and see. I promise to not leave you with a demon in the basement.” He could still feel the tension in her shoulder but there wasn't anything else he could do, not until he analyzed the footage and came up with a game plan.

Ana was saved from having to respond by the coffee maker’s loud buzzing that it had finished brewing. “Coffee?” She asked moving away from him.

****

The sun was just starting to peak over the horizon, framing the lighthouse in its rays, when there was a knock and sudden opening of the kitchen door, startling Zak from his reverence of the view as he sipped his coffee.

A stout, young looking man wearing a cable knit sweater, jeans tucked into waterproof boots, and a cap set low over his ears strode into the kitchen. He was followed by a skinny, tall dark haired man in a crisp business suit. Zak sensed that they were together.

The shorter man walked up behind Ana, who was preoccupied with the stove, and gathered her into a big bear hug. She gave a shriek and then slapped at the man playfully. “You gave me a heart attack!” She turned and hugged him properly.

“Storm is pretty bad then?”

“Bad enough ta send da fleet ta harbor.” He responded elongating his vowels.

“Where are my manners?” Ana asked herself, remembering Zak was still in the kitchen.

“Brett, this is Zak, a guest. He is looking for ghosts at the lighthouse.” The shorter man and Zak shook hands.

“And this is Danny.” She indicated the other man, who simply nodded to Zak from his spot leaned against the counter.

“You boys always know just when to show up.”

“Yeah, right afore breakfast.” Brett responded, getting a laugh out of Danny and Ana.

“Danny, are you staying or do you have to get to work?”

“Took the day off. Brett surprised me in the driveway.” He excused his suit. Ana nodded and went back to cooking pancakes.

The men went to sit on the other side of the island, Brett knew it was best to stay out of Ana’s way when she was in the kitchen.

“So, ya hunt ghosts?” Brett asked Zak, getting a playful slap from Danny at the insensitive way the question was asked.

Zak smiled, he was use to the question. He explained how the Ghost Adventures Crew specialized in haunted locations with dark background and how they have been at it for almost 10 years.

“Why here, then.” Danny asked “I haven't heard of the lighthouse having anything dark associated with it.”

“Harry contacted us, about Ana actually.” Zak dropped his voice “How there was something in the lighthouse that was mimicking her brother's voice and how it might be attaching itself to her.”

Brett and Danny shared a look, they seemed to communicate without words for several long moments, finally Brett nodded “Charlie and I were together, almost since Ana was 15, she’s a little sister ta me. Losing Charlie was hard.” Danny reached over to squeeze his hand “It was hard on everyone ta say da least. I was worried we were gonna lose Ana, Charlie was da only family she had left. When she first told me she was going ta da lighthouse I wasn't worried, lots of kids row over. It wasn't until she shared those recordings dat I got worried, she was obsessed, insisted dat Charlie was there.”

“What concerns me, is that after Harry scolded her, she stopped sharing.” Danny interjected “I know she goes over there, I sometimes stop after work, when you're out fishing, and half the time she won't be here.”

“What about the thing in the basement? Mrs. Eyrie?” Zak asked. Both Brett and Danny looked confused. “She said there is the mother of the original owner in the basement, makes crying noises, slams doors?”

“This is da first time I’m hearing this.” Brett looked concerned.

“She said it has always been here.”

Ana interrupted them from answering by loudly setting down a plate of pancakes in front of them. They could tell she was angry about the conversation she overheard and was about to scold them, luckily Harry came in at the same moment and prevented further conversation. Pretty soon, the dining room was full of GAC and breakfast was in full swing, any conversation about Ana and the spirit in the basement would have to wait; they need to figure out the game plan for the evenings lockdown.


	6. Chapter 6

Once breakfast was finished, Zak wanted to get down to business of filming. There was still a lot of planning and setting up that needed to be done before it got dark. 

“That storm will be here by nightfall.” Aaron gave a questioning look to Harry’s statement “It is dangerous to be on the island in that weather, especially since it chased the fishing fleet into harbor, if something were to happen we couldn't get to you until the storm breaks.”

“We can't waste another day without filming” Billy stated.

“I suggest you set up cameras and let them roll remotely overnight. You can check the footage and do your investigation tomorrow night. It will be safest.” Harry said.

The Ghost Adventures Crew had a quick powwow. There were concerns about staying an extra night but in the end it was decided to take the local’s advice and to not risk their safety, they were more experienced now and were not keen on being trapped in a storm on a remote island.

“It’s going to take a while to lug all the gear up there anyways” Jay said, already looking tired at the prospect “since we have to go to the far side and haul it across the island.”

“Why don't you use the bosun chair?” Ana tossed over her shoulder, stacking breakfast plates in the drying rack.

“Da bosun chair?” Brett mused “What bosun chair?”

“Do you really think that I was rowing all the way around the island and then hiking to get to the lighthouse? Danny already told you I’m not here most evenings. It seems exhausting to do all that when I could just row straight across.”

Brett exploded “Da rusty, ancient, dangerous bosun chair is what ya using!” He sputtered several times, trying to get back under control. Ana visibly cringed away from his outburst. “What are ya thinking?!”

“I’m not an idiot Brett. The summer camp replaced it, makes it easier to get supplies or use in an emergency. They just don't know that I’m using it.” Ana trailed off sheepishly. “It’s perfectly safe, I’m sure we can haul the camera stuff up that way.”

Harry let out a hearty laugh “That settles it. We’ll check out the bosun chair and get the camera gear up much faster.” He continued to chuckle at Brett’s obvious annoyance at Ana.

******

It took some time to get all of the gear ready to withstand the forecasted storm and then loaded onto the boat. The sun was almost overhead by time they were ready.

It was a much shorter trip to the lighthouse this time since they didn't have to sail all the way around the island. Zak was extremely doubtful when he saw the bosun chair, it didn't look sturdy enough to lift a single camera, much less a person.

Harry, Brett, and Ana were working to lower a row boat into the water, Aaron was peppering them with questions, obviously in the way.

“Let me row over and I’ll get the lift down, it has a motor so we can haul more. This way Brett can see how safe it really is” Ana smirked.

“Take the dragline with you, it’ll be easier to pass things if we don't have to row.” Harry handed down the end of a long rope that was tied to a cleat on the stern.

Zak watched her row over to the rocks and tie to what he guessed was another cleat set for this purpose. She attached, what looked like a wooden plank to almost invisible ropes dangling from the top of the island, some 50 feet or more above. Zak was already have anxiety about the water and the height. “We’re not going up that way are we?” He said to no one in particular. Ana had slid into the seat and braced her feet against the rocks. She slowly began to climb hand over hand using a pulley system, it was obvious she did this often.

“This can't be safe. There is no way that I am going up that way.” Zak was starting to panic.

“Well she was right, it seems perfectly safe.” Danny leaned into Brett who only grumbled.

“I still don't like the idea of her climbing in the dark.” Danny gave a small squeeze to Brett’s arm.

“I mean it, I’m not going up the side of the cliff.” The fear was evident in Zak’s voice.

Jay finally took better notice and went to settle Zak down. “No one said anything about having to go out that way, we’re only going to send the equipment up so that we don't have to drag it half a mile across the island.”

“Once we’re unload, we’ll go around and dock and you can hike across.” Harry reassured Zak.

“I want to go up in the chair.” Aaron bounced excitedly, causing Billy to wince.

Ana was now descending the cliff on a much larger platform, almost like a window washer’s platform. It looked much sturdier and able to lift their gear. Mike and Jeff decided to brave the chair to be at the top of the cliff to receive the gear with Mike staying at the bottom to supervise the loading. The next 90 minutes were spent transferring the camera equipment to the top of the cliff. Zak was still nervous but had to admit that this was the most efficient way to move the equipment.

“Well this is the last load, anyone want to ride up? I’ll bring it down one more time.” Ana asked the crew. Aaron was the first to volunteer and Brett stayed to test the safety of the boson chair; Mike decided to join the others in the hike.

“We’ll meet you in a bit.” Harry shouted as he left to sail the remaining Ghost Adventures Crew around the island to the dock.

Zak was looking a little green and jealous that Aaron was staying with Ana but not crazy enough to want to ride that rickety board up the side of a cliff. He shuddered at the very thought.

By time everyone met up again, the wind was picking up. Aaron and Jeff had managed to drag most of the equipment into the lighthouse. With Harry’s guidance they set up various motion sensor x-cameras to see if they could capture anything during the night. Zak was excited because storms can cause an increase in spirit activities and he was looking forward to seeing what they would capture. Jay set up a boom mic to to see if they would capture any sounds but didn’t have high hopes with the way the wind was howling.

Harry encouraged them to hurry, the sky was getting darker and he was worried about the waves picking up. Zak was nervous and was glad they decided against spending the night at the lighthouse.

They had just managed to finish everything and make it back to the boat when the first drops of rain started to fall. Ana and Brett were waiting in the rowboat to be picked up and by time they sailed around the island, they were soaked and the little boat was being tossed around.

Zak brought a blanket and wrapped it around Ana, he then gently took her glasses from her hand and dried them on his shirt. She squinted at him in confusion when he handed them back. They were at the dock before he could say anything. Ana smiled and offered to get umbrellas, since she was soaked anyways. Zak’s heart beat fast at the soft smile she gave him before jumping off the boat and into the downpour.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully the muses won't take so long next time for the next chapter.


	7. Chapter 7

There was quite a bit of noise coming from the kitchen area, drawing Zak and Jay from where they were researching the history of the B&B. Zak was determined to figure out the entity in the basement. Rain was still lashing the windows and Zak was grateful that they were not at the lighthouse having a miserable time.

They drifted down towards the sound; the teens from the other day were back and had brought pizzas. It looked like a high school cafeteria, everyone was standing around eating pizza and talking over each other. There was a lot of laughter. Zak zeroed in on Ana, who was leaning against the island counter and talking around a mouthful of pizza.

He grabbed a plate and made his way through the crowd towards her, he gave up trying to explain why he was drawn to her. He heard snippets of conversation about some singing contest. He liked music, in general, but knew nothing about musical theater and didn’t give it much thought. He rested his hip against the counter, chewing on a slice of pizza and let the conversation wash over him.

“--- 10 minutes and under. Two songs at most.”

“We really think the _Star Wars_ theme is the way to go.”

“What is this all about? What are these songs even from?” Zak cut into the conversation. They all turned to stare at him like he was an alien.

“We have a chance to win a trip and tickets to see _Hamilton_ in New York City,” one of the girls, Carrie, Zak thought, explained in a tone that would be used with small children.”

“It also doesn’t hurt that we are are awesome at rapping” Ken boasted, causing the group to laugh and Ana to roll her eyes.

“It’s a rap musical about the U.S. Founding Fathers. It’s the latest craze,” Ana explained to Zak.

“Are you a music teacher?” Zak asked Ana.

She laughed, like it was the silliest questions she had ever been asked. “No, no, not at all,” she wiped laughter tear from her eyes.

“Ms. Anastasia is only here with us when it’s not hockey season,” Nina, another of the teens interjected.

“My 'real job' is Scout Coordinator for the Columbus Blue Jackets,” seeing Zak’s confusion Ana explained, “They’re a NHL team. It basically means I coordinate everyone that is out looking at potential new players. I like to call it herding cats.”

“But what about the B&B and singing and the costumes?” Zak was still confused.

“Ms. Anastasia always helps with summer theater camp.” 

“In addition to Sidney’s hockey camp” Ken interrupted.

“It’s more of a hobby,” Ana tucked hair behind her ear. “And I grew up here. The Harbor Hotel uses it as overflow but it’s usually only needdn the summer when I’m here, so it mostly works out.”

“I wish she could be here all the time. She is way better than Christina” Nina vehemently said.

“Hush now,” Ana scolded “Christina is a good teacher, maybe it you didn’t antagonize her she wouldn’t be so harsh.”

Zak sensed that this wasn’t the full story but it seemed like the discussion was over. Before he even realized what was happening, plates were being put into the dishwasher and the leftovers were put away. There seemed to be a general interest in the singing contest and almost everyone trooped into the living room. The teens gathered around Ana as she sat at the piano. 

“What should we warm up with today?” Ana asked the teens. They seemed distracted by the impromptu audience. “Guys!” She said rather sharply, “this isn’t any different than being on stage and it’s just practice, okay?”

“How about Disney?” Ken suggested.

“Why do you alway pick Disney?” Brian, the only other male in the group, groaned.

There was a general “shut up” from the rest of the crowd. Ana laughed and began playing the first refrains from _Part of Your World_ from _The Little Mermaid_ . Carrie began to sing. As the song neared the end, Ken shouted out _A Whole New World_ and Ana seamlessly moved into the song from _Aladdin_ ; Ken and Nina sang through the song.  They continued in this way until all of the teens had sang two Disney songs to warm up.  

“Now, you Ms. Anastasia, _A Dream is a Wish_ ” Carrie insisted.  

Zak felt the emotion behind the lyrics as she sang, he felt like she was resigned to dreaming that things would look up for her and was moved close to tears.

There was a resounding applause when they finished singing. The teens took an exaggerated bow while Ana just shook her head.

“What about this rapping?” Aaron asked.

“How about _Take a Break_?” Brian asked “Ms. Anastasia, you’ll be Angelica, Carrie can be Eliza, Ken can be Alexander, and I’ll be Phillip.”

Carrie stopped Ana’s protests by pointing out that this was just warm up. Aaron’s mouth dropped at the rapping skills of the teens, he would have never guessed by looking at the teens that they could rap. He was especially impressed with Carrie’s beatboxing skills. They didn’t sing through it perfectly, not that their audience could tell, and there was stunned silence before the room erupted in applause and whistles.

“Okay, enough fooling around,” Ana said when it quieted down, “you’re supposed to be practicing. Ken and Brian, let’s start with _Dear Theodosia_.”

They started out strong but Ana stopped them after only a couple of lines, “Brian, it’s supposed to be ‘you have my eyes’ not ‘you have my smile’” she laughed at his exaggerated confusion and started the music over.

Zak soon got a bored with the rehearsal and wandered back into the kitchen looking for some water. He had just put the water pitcher back in the fridge when the lights flickered twice and went out. It was pitch black with no streetlights to provide ambient lighting. He fumbled for his phone to use the flashlight feature. He heard Aaron knock into something in the other room and cuss.

Ana quickly gained control of the situation and began lighting candles. It didn’t seem like the power was going to come back on any time soon. Everyone was pretty insistent that they continue rehearsing, it wasn’t like they could do much else.  

Zak stood in the doorway, mostly in shadow, watching Ana’s features in the flickering candle light; it was almost romantic - if there hadn’t been so many people around. She was a good teacher and he could tell how much the kids respected her and trusted her guidance.

After about an hour, the teens decided that they should head home. They were worried about navigating the road in the storm. The power was still out and everyone else decided to retire to their rooms.

Zak was halfway up the stairs when he turned back to see about borrowing some candles for the bathroom.  In the glow of the candles in the kitchen he saw Phil kissing Ana; when had he arrived? Their bodies were pressed flush from knees to chest. Zak watched his hands roam from her shoulders to her bottom, he cupped her cheeks and ground their hips together. Zak felt a spike of anger race through him and was about to stomp away.

“Did you need something?” Ana asked through a panting breath.

Zak turned back to seeing them standing a respectable distance apart, if a little disheveled. He was embarrassed now to have been caught and sheepishly asked for some extra candles.

“Just be careful. The last thing we all need is to have a fire started” she joked as she handed him votive candles and a book of matches. “Don’t hesitate to ask if you need anything else” she had slipped back into hostess mode.

Zak was glad it was dark so they couldn’t see his blush.


End file.
